The Mephisto Waltz

Alan Alda as a concert pianist with a satanic anointing

A music journalist in the Los Angeles area (Alda) meets an aging piano virtuoso (Curt Jurgens), not to mention his beautiful daughter (Barbara Parkins), and automatically becomes like family, but his wife isn't 'hip' with the curious situation (Jacqueline Bisset).

"The Mephisto Waltz" (1971) is like "Rosemary's Baby" (1968) with slight nuances and switching the setting from an old New York City apartment building to sunny SoCal. It's on par and arguably better in some ways, especially the less one-dimensional setting, but the comic book approach to the black arts detracts. I can't help but think of Marvel's Ghost Rider, which would debut sixteen months later. Nevertheless, the ending works once you put the pieces of the puzzle together, which elicits a 'wow' reaction if you can get it (the movie makes it ambiguous).

The drama is compelling and there's enough to entertain, like the wild New Year's Eve party, reminiscent of "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" (1970) but without the camp. It would influence future flicks like "Summer of Fear" (1978), "Midnight Offerings" (1981) and "The Skeleton Key" (2005).

Bisset is very youthful here, 26 years-old during shooting, while the mesmerizing Parkins was 28. Meanwhile Pamelyn Ferdin as Abby was the go-to girl in the late 60s-mid 70s for TV shows and movies. For instance, you might remember her from "The Beguiled" (1971) and, earlier, the Star Trek episode "And the Children Shall Lead."

The film runs 1 hour, 55 minutes, and was shot in Century City, Los Angeles, with some scenes done on the nearby Pacific coast.

GRADE: B